Here Comes the Sun
by The Enduring Man-Child
Summary: Ned invites Ron to share a very special and infrequent occasion with him.


**Here Comes the Sun**

**by "The Enduring Man-Child"**

_**All standard disclaimers apply.**_

**This fic takes place sometime after my last Ned fic, "No Man Knows My Story." How it, or my other stories, fit into the KP series time line I don't know. At the end of the series Middleton had been destroyed and Kim and Ron had graduated high school and were (assumedly) on their way to college. All my fics assume is that Kim and Ron are dating. Other than that they seem to take place in a vacuum.**

**This fic is dedicated to all the Neds out there in Real Life.**

**As always, thanks to cpneb for the beta and his contributions.**

- - - - -

Kim and Ron were in their usual booth at Bueno Nacho, eating and conversing (which Kim did alternatively, Ron simultaneously) when a shadow fell across them. Ron was too busy to notice, so Kim looked up to see their friend Ned standing there.

"Hello, Ned," Kim smiled at him. Though they were by no means _close _friends, Kim did consider herself and Ron to be his friends ever since his bout of appendicitis, and she always made an effort to speak to him now.

"Naco Man!" Ron exclaimed his own greeting, having been alerted to his presence by Kim's words.

"Hello Kim...Ron." He seemed a little nervous. "Kim, do you mind if I borrow Ron for just little bit? I won't keep him long, I promise."

"Sure, Ned! You want to sit here with us? Or if you want to speak to him alone I can always step away for a moment."

"No thanks, Kim. Please, Ron. Just let me speak to you alone for a minute?"

"Um...sure, Ned. Sure thing," Ron answered, wondering what this could be about. With a glance at Kim (who nodded her understanding), he got up and followed Ned to an unoccupied booth away from everyone else, first shouting to the other employees that he'd be "back in fifteen." Ron followed his host's example by sitting down and waited to see what this was about.

"Ron, do you know what happens on the Eighth of next month?" Ned asked him.

"The Eighth of April? Yea, it's the eve of Passover. What's is it, Ned? You want to come over to my folks' house for a Seder? We'd be glad to have you."

"No...no, that's not what I'm talking about; though thanks, anyway. I mean, do you know what _else _happens on the Eighth of April this year that doesn't happen very often?"

"Other than it being Passover Night: no I don't, Ned."

Ned looked a bit uncomfortable, which Ron didn't understand, but he was quite patient until Ned spoke what was on his mind. Finally, he did.

"Once every twenty-eight years, Ron," he began, "the sun rises in the sky at the exact place on the exact day of the solar year and the exact day of the week that it did the very day it was created. That's going to happen on the Eighth of next month."

Ron blinked. Finally he spoke up.

"It does? Sweet! I've never heard that before. But of course my family is Reform, so we're not into all of the traditions. That's not to say it isn't important to us, but...why are you telling me this?"

"Ron," Ned explained, "this isn't something that happens just once a year. It's something that happens only once every _twenty-eight _years. That's only _twice _in the average person's lifetime. The last time this happened was '81, and neither of us was born back then. And while I'd like to think we'll both be here twenty-eight years from now...well, you never know, Ron. I—I almost died a few months back because of my stupid appendix!"

Ron nodded his understanding.

"I want to bless the sun, Ron. I'm not observant. I don't _davven_, I don't lay _tefillin_, I don't keep _Shabbes, _and I don't keep kosher. I've been cut off from our people and traditions for a long, long time. But Ron...I'm a Jew! And this is such a rare event. I may never get to do it again. I want to bless the sun, early that morning...and I want you to join me."

Ron didn't know what to say.

"That's...that's so sweet, Ned. Really, it is, and I'd love to bless the sun with you. But I'm afraid I don't know the ritual.

"Oh, that's no problem!" Ned said, breaking out in a grin and jumping up to take Ron by the hand and lead him to the corridor used by the employees to go to and from the area behind the counter. He reached down and picked up a backpack that was lying on the floor—it looked like a backpack any college student might use—and unzipped it to retrieve a sheaf of papers from the inside.

"Here, Ron: I printed it off the Internet just in case you'd agree to do this!"

Ron looked at the proffered papers. "Thanks, Ned, but don't you need them too? Or did you print off your own—"

"No, I don't need them, Ron. I've already read them."

"You've already read them? But how will you...oh, you're going to print off another set for yourself!"

"Don't need to, Ron," Ned said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "I've already read the text. Now it's all up here." He tapped his head. "I don't need them any more."

"You've already _memorized _everything here? Wow. How long did that take you, anyway?"

"I just had to read it once," Ned said, looking puzzled as to what the big deal about it was.

"You read all of this _once_...?" Ron asked, astounded.

"Sure. So I don't need it. Please take it home with you, read over it, familiarize yourself with the ritual, and bring it back that morning if you need to read off it. Just one thing—" and his hand shot out and took Ron's wrist. "Be sure to treat those papers with respect. Don't just treat them any way, crumple them, tear them, throw 'em away or anything. The contents are sacred."

"O—okay," Ron said, "I'll remember that.

"Thanks, Ron! You don't know _how much _this means to me!" Ned said, shaking Ron's free hand as he prepared to rejoin his comrades of the grill.

"Just one thing," Ron said, "my Hebrew's a little rusty."

"You can say the blessing in English if need be," Ned assured him, as he made his way back to his place behind the counter, leaving Ron to look at the papers in his hand—a computer printout of an ancient Hebrew ritual text, a marriage of the ancient and the new.

"So what did Ned want?" Kim asked as Ron rejoined her. She became puzzled at the look on her face and the papers he was holding.

"Oh...he wants me to bless the sun with him on the eighth of next month, KP. It's a rare Jewish ritual I hadn't heard of...only happens once every twenty-eight years, he said. He wants to do this, and...and he wants me to do it with him."

Kim looked admiringly at her BF and the at once familiar but unreadable script he was holding.

"Wow, Ron. That sounds...spankin'!"

"Yeah, KP. It _does_, doesn't it?"

- - - - -

There had been some concerns about "April showers" but the Eighth dawned dry enough, though there were flat, gray clouds on the eastern horizon. Ned was already on the scene outside Bueno Nacho, being used to rising early to prep the food, and he had only had to rise a little earlier than usual. Vivian, as usual, had been a good sport about picking him up. Ron hadn't shown up yet, and Ned was worried. Ron's reputation as a slacker was well-known even among those who didn't go to school or save the world with him.

Finally he heard the sound of a very dated and very slow scooter, and sure enough, here was Ron at last. After parking the scooter, he joined Ned at the east side of the building. He was wearing his own backpack, so obviously he had remembered to bring the computer printout with the prayers with him.

"Hey, Ron!" Ned greeted him, his face shining with relief and excitement. "I'm so glad you're here to share this with me! Really, you don't know what it means to me."

"Glad to be here, Ned. Er...I've been studying the prayers but I'm going to have to read most of them in English if that's all right with you."

"Oh, sure: no problem!" Ned assured him. Then he reached into his pocket and retrieved a skullcap. Ron's blood ran cold. He had forgotten to bring his...

"Um, Ned...I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm afraid I forgot to bring my yarmulke. I'm really sorry."

"That's all right, Ron," Ned replied. Here, you put this on and I'll just wear my Bueno Nacho cap."

"No. No way, Ned," Ron said. "This means too much to you. You put that on. And if it's okay with you I'll just borrow your BN cap."

"Well sure, if that's what you want, Ron," Ned said, handing Ron the aforesaid part of the BN uniform.

Ron watched Ned put the yarmulke on his head and noted how well it seemed to suit him. Then...they watched and waited.

"I'm afraid we won't see the sun as it breaks the horizon," Ron said in a quiet voice, almost afraid to speak and break the silence of the sacred moment. "There's still that cloud there."

"No problem," Ned whispered, his voice tense with anticipation. "We've got until mid morning. We'll see it as it comes over the cloud."

Then, all returned to silence.

Even the birds, somehow, seemed to know that something special was about to happen: they flew overhead and landed on the BN sign, but they made no sounds.

Ron was looking at the prayer text, hoping to be ready to begin reading as soon as the disk of the sun became visible. He'd have to do most of the reading in English, but he could do the main part of the blessing, one single line, in Hebrew.

He felt Ned grab his arm (a little too strongly, he thought) and looked up. Ned pointed to the cloud. The sun's disk was just now becoming visible from behind it.

Ron looked at his papers and prepared to read.

"_Viyhiy no`am Qadonay 'Eloqeynu `aleynu uma`aseh yadeynu konenah `aleynu, uma`aseh yadeynu konenehu!_"

Ron was caught completely by surprise. Frozen in place, his mouth open, he could only look on in wonder and admiration at the young man he had thought he knew so well, his eyes closed, a look of almost ecstasy on his face, as he poured forth the ancient words he claimed to have read only once, with no help from a printed text. The prayer came so fast it reminded Ron of the cattle auctions he occasionally came across on 'Barnyard TV' while flipping through his cable channels.

At first Ron scrambled to try to find where Ned was at in his text but he soon gave up entirely. No doubt Ned would be disappointed in him, but the best he could do was flip through the pages until he came to the blessing proper in large black letters. This was the heart of the whole ritual, and he would at least attempt to recite it. Other than that, he could only stare at Ned and feel inadequate.

Finally Ned paused in his prayers, stole a look at Ron, and excitedly tapped the text he was holding. This was it!

"_**Barukh 'Attah Hashem 'Eloqeynu Melekh ha`Olam, 'oseh ma`aseh Vere'shit!"**_

That was The Blessing, and they had both recited it together!

Once again Ron was reduced to the role of fascinated spectator as Ned continued to recite the closing Psalms and verses until finally, with a look of supreme fulfillment, he ceased.

He continued to gaze at the rising sun for a moment, sighed, and then looked at Ron with gratitude. Then, completely unexpectedly, he grabbed Ron in a humongous hug.

"Oh, _thank you, _Ron! _Thankyouthankyouthankyou _forblessing the sun with me!"

"Ugh! No problem, Dude!" Ron said at last, after taking a moment to recover.

"I'd better take my BN cap," Ned observed after a moment.

"Yeah. Sorry, Ned. I was just caught up in the moment," Ron said, handing it to him.

"And you'd better give me those," Ned said, indicating the pages containing the prayers. "I'll see to it that they're properly disposed of."

"Properly disposed of?"

"Yeah. The Hebrew letters are sacred. They have to be buried in a Jewish cemetery." He slipped the computer printouts into his own backpack.

"So...I suppose I'll see you and Kim in a little while for breakfast?"

"You know it, Ned, my man!" Ron replied with enthusiasm.

"Fine! Then, I guess I'll see you then." He turned to go about his business of unlocking the door.

"Hey, Ned," Ron called to him, "Tonight's Passover. The fam would be happy to have you as a guest. Really."

"I know, Ron. But I don't know...maybe next year. After all, Pesach comes every year, you know. Not like this!" He pointed to the ascending sun.

"Yeah, I know. But you went to a lot of trouble, and you said you've been out of the loop for a long time. Maybe it's time. At any rate, I just wanted you to know you're welcome."

"Yeah. I know I am, and thanks, Ron. But you know," he looked at Ron with an expression that indicated his deep yearning had, at least for now, been fulfilled. "One step at a time!"

"Yeah. One step at a time, Ned. Later!"

"Later, Ron! Remember, no _chametz _after midday!"

"_Reform, _remember? And who was talking about 'one step at a time?'"

"Oops! Sorry, Ron! It's not like I keep kosher either. Well, later...and thanks again!"

"Later. And you're welcome...again," Ron assured him.

Ron watched his friend disappear into the building.

"Hmm. Wonder if KP could stand to do without leavened bread for a week?" he asked himself.

He started up his trusty scooter. He'd been planning to go back home and hop right back into bed. But no, he was up already. Better to just go ahead and drive to the Possibles'. After all, he had a badical BFGF...and there was something he wanted to ask her!

_**The End**_

Hebrew translations:

_Viyhiy no`am Qadonay 'Eloqeynu `aleynu uma`aseh yadeynu konenah `aleynu, uma`aseh yadeynu konenehu._

"May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us, and the work of our hands establish upon us, and the work of our hands, establish it." This is the conclusion of Psalm 90 and the opening verse of the sun-blessing service.

_**Barukh 'Attah Hashem 'Eloqeynu Melekh ha`Olam, 'oseh ma`aseh Vere'shit.**_

"Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who makes the deeds of Creation" (though the word _Bere'shit _is actually the first word of the Hebrew text of the Book of Genesis). This brief line is the actual blessing.


End file.
